Ethan stared at me for a beat. “Alright, if Karson hasn’t found him and strung his body parts around wherever the hell he lives like Christmas decorations already, I will help you find him and you can decide what his fate is.”
Blinking behind tired eyes, I nodded.
His body relaxed as he slipped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. I rested my head against his chest, listening to the impossibly slow beat of his heart. I felt sheltered in his arms. I felt … cherished.
My eyes fluttered closed. “Monique wants to find him too.”
“The guy is as good as dead,” he murmured, kissing the top of my head. “Anyone who dares to hurt you is dead.”
Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled.
Chapter 50
Read My Mind
Iwoke without a nightmare tearing me from sleep for the first time in a while. I was in bed, a comforter over me. Ethan must have carried me in, and I was so exhausted I didn’t wake. I lay there for a moment, listening to the sounds of the birds. It would be an exaggeration to say I was back to full emotional stability, but I was feeling oddly calm given the events of the previous day.
I restrained a groan as my stomach muscles pulled like stretched rubber bands. Everything hurt—my stomach, my back, my legs. I had no idea how far I ran last night or how long for, but walking was going to be a challenge.
I stood, stretching my arms high and yawning, then made my way to the living area. Ethan was asleep on the couch, his arm draped over the side, his breathing rhythmical. Early morning sun peeked through a dismal sky and fell through the full-length window, highlighting his face. His hair was tousled from sleep, dark strands sticking up in every direction. And yet he looked raw, sexy, beautiful. Vampires always did.
On the other hand, I probably looked like I had taken a tumble inside a washing machine. I flicked on the kettle and leaned my hip on the counter, watching Ethan sleep.
“Hey,” he said, his voice like silk as his eyes fluttered open.
“Sorry,” I murmured. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
He sat up, knuckling his eyes. “I was awake, I just couldn’t be bothered getting up.”
“You stayed?” Which was a dumb thing to say. Obviously, he did.
“Sarah doesn’t know you are here, but if we found you …” He didn’t finish; he didn’t need to.
The comment pooled deep in my stomach. “I can protect myself. I’ve been training.”
He snorted. “I’ve seen how well his training went.”
The pool rushed to my chest, tightened. I turned away from his appraisal, embarrassed. It wasn’t just what happened, I was a twenty-two-year-old woman afraid of the dark. I spooned coffee into my cup. “Want one?” I asked, even though I knew he wouldn’t.
“What other training have you done?” He stood behind me, his presence tingling through my entire body.
“Kenneth worked on sensing vampires rushing at me and striking with a sword.” I poured water into the cup; the scent of caffeine filled my nostrils.
“Kenneth?” He sounded surprised.
I turned back; Ethan was so close, my mug almost hit his chest. “Don’t you trust him?”
“It’s not that I don’t trust Kenneth, but he’s loyal to Rodney to a fault, and I don’t trust him.”
Finally, someone said it. “Me either, the guy’s an asshole.” I moved over to the small kitchen table and sat down, cradling the cup between my hands. “His powers are frightening.”
Ethan’s voice sharpened. “Has he tried to get in your head?”
I nodded. A shiver ran over my skin at the memory of his power trying to seep its way in like invisible iced water. Theimage of the smoke piling from Leon’s ears, his empty gaze as he slumped …
“Did you keep him out?”
I took a sip of coffee, washing down the sudden taste of ash in my throat. “Karson intervened.”
